I’ve been procrastinating writing this post for several reasons. First…I don’t want to be a “whiner butt”. Second…I’m not asking for any sympathy. Third…everyone else has a “thorn in the flesh” too. But I have to do it and get it over with. So, here goes nuthin’………. Well, for starters the dairy industry for farmers in the U.S.A. is painting a very bleak picture. Farm magazines are saying…sell out as fast as possible. Milk prices are plummeting low and deep. Co-ops are under-cutting each other. The pricing system is outdated. Milk companies have the right to “leave us high and dry” with no place to market our milk. All this and more was working on my brain as I headed out to run errands. Needless to say….I was feeling the anguish deep down in my soul. Maybe it was divine….but I felt the need to stop by my favorite antique store and see if I could cheer myself up. Wow! Look what I found! So many treasures and they were having summer sales. Dirt cheap! I couldn’t believe it. Should I laugh or cry?! I felt the dark cloud lifting and just a small ray of sunshine “peeking” through. By the time I got home I was feeling pretty special. Special….because the Lord saw my “silent tears” which I wouldn’t allow to run down my face. Special….because I was reassured that I wasn’t forgotten after all. Special….because I now had enough energy again to keep forging ahead and hang on amid all the chaos and uncertainty. As soon as I got home I raced into the house and hollered for everyone to come look at the treasures I had found. Of course, I immediately started placing everything here and there and everywhere. What fun! So now that I exposed myself and our bleak future in the dairy industry I’m going to go drink an iced coffee and do a little gardening. Chore time is right around the corner. The moral of the story is this…..I felt like my prayers were bouncing off the walls and hitting me in the face. Nothing is fair…but I’m not allowed to give up. (even though I feel like it) I was encouraged with just a few simple “junk finds”. Thank you Jesus………………..Carol